Rianne Downey’s debut album The Consequence of Love has been a long time coming. Blending contemporary folk and country with Scottish traditional folk, it’s also highly anticipated – when we chatted a few weeks ago, her tour was already nearly sold out. Recorded last year in May at Bear Creek Studios near Seattle (yes, there was a creek and bears nearby), Rianne has since been busy working and performing with Paul Heaton, wanting to give him all her time and energy before giving all of hers to her own work and for it to be the right time. Although, she did learn that with art, there isn’t ever a right time. “It’s so precious to you, isn’t it? So, you feel like the longer you hold onto it it’s safe, but it comes to a head doesn’t it. You need to show the world so you can move onto the next thing.”
While there might never be the right time in the eyes and ears of the artists to release their work into the wild, seasonally speaking The Consequence of Love has been released at the right time for the listener. There is something very autumnal about this album, it evokes the soft light in the mornings, the changing of the season, the warmth of the sun and chill in the air. Rianne was very pleased to hear that I had picked up on this, especially on the song ‘Sunblind.’ “I actually had sort of autumn mornings in my head, I’m quite an autumnal person so when I was writing, that’s a lot of the things I could see, like the sun setting dead low,” she says with a huge grin.
The album is beautiful, it’s atmospheric and whimsical, just like the flowers in her hair and Gunne Sax dress she’s wearing on the cover, and gives lovely nods to all her influences, heritage, who she is and where she has come from. It is also refreshing to hear a singer sing in their own accent, her Glaswegian accent is already so melodic, it would’ve made no sense to adopt an American way of singing and phrasing. ‘Angel’ is a particular standout, as it perfectly brings together all her talents and influences. The lyrics tug at the heartstrings, the rhythm and pacing of her singing sounds like an old Scottish folk song, and then there’s that gorgeous twang of the dobro, a nice little reference to the Appalachian Mountain music she loves. But don’t underestimate the pretty dresses and whimsy, like any proper country album, there’s a lot of pain, loss, grit and wearing her heart on her sleeve. “I think that’s what my album is in a way, it’s like emotional trauma, but you can two-step to it,” laughs the ever-so charming Rianne.
Rianne is no stranger to a bit of two-stepping, with her Gran and Papa being avid dancers, her Gran especially, who would teach a young Rianne how to line dance and two-step. “It’s definitely a staple in most Scottish households to know how to two-step a wee bit.” It was also her Gran and Papa, as well as her Mum who introduced her to country music, raising her on the likes of Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash and June Carter. Johnny Cash was the most impactful, with both of us sharing the experience of Walk the Line being major moments in our family film history. “‘Ring of Fire’ was the first song I had on my wee slide-up phone,” smiles Rianne before giggling about the poster of the Man in Black her Mum gave her when she was a teenager. “It was massive, it was almost like a five-foot poster of that dead famous photo of Johnny Cash with his finger up. That was just in the middle of my wall when I was like thirteen.”
Alongside Johnny Cash, Fleetwood Mac are amongst Rianne’s biggest influences. “When you’re young and a teenager and so caught up in the thing of finding yourself, I think they definitely helped me along that path,” Rianne says on the impact Fleetwood Mac has had on her. “Learning about them and the chaos of their lives gave me peace in a way as well.” She cites Stevie Nicks as a particular inspiration in terms of music, fashion and life. “It was Stevie Nicks who introduced me to feminism as well, which I love, so she’s definitely helped me in a lot of ways.”
Other influences include Simon and Garfunkel and, in her songwriting, Townes Van Zandt (“I really do love that sort of really classic, fingerpicking, old country style”), as well as her contemporaries Noah Kahan and Phoebe Bridgers. Not only has the sounds and productions of Noah Kahan played a big role in recent inspirations, but also his huge successes, as it’s made Rianne feel more confident that there is an audience for her.
Rianne shares that this was a big worry for her in 2021 when she released her first EP and there wasn’t quite the resurgence of country and folk as there is now. “I sort of felt like, oh God what if people don’t like country, then that means they don’t like me, and I don’t want to make a gimmick of myself.” Though this fear led her to stray away from country and folk as she experimented with indie and pop, she kept returning to her roots and the music she deep down always wanted to make. “It felt really freeing and refreshing to just decide I’m doing this for me and I’m writing what I want to write.”
Rianne has unfortunately faced some negative comments. “It is quite an unorthodox thing, a Scottish country singer, so I have had trolls online saying like, ‘ugh she’s just another country singer,’ ‘she’s just another karaoke singer,’ ‘you can’t even tell she’s Scottish, why she putting on an accent?’” Anyone who’s referencing Townes Van Zandt is far from a karaoke singer… Luckily, Rianne has a strong sense of self and tries to see the positive in that if she’s getting hate online it means her presence and reach is growing. She’s also not too worried about the “miserable people,” because she’s being true to herself, or to use the country buzzword, she’s authentic. “If I was trying to do something else, then I’d never really know if I was doing it right or wrong, whereas when I’m being me, I don’t really think I can do that wrong.”
It’s also important to remember that a lot of elements in country music come from Celtic folk music. For example, when Dolly Parton sings old bluegrass songs or harmonises with her sisters, you can hear in her voice, the way in which she delivers the notes and stories, her Celtic ancestry. “I guess maybe that is why it feels so natural to me,” smiles Rianne. “I think it is that sort of raw storytelling thing that definitely feels like that’s my sort of Celtic roots.” And so, Rianne being inspired by American mountain music but singing it in her own Scottish accent is like the bringing together of country and folk’s past, present and future.
Speaking of Dolly Parton, none other than Whispering Bob Harris has declared Rianne as “Dolly Parton if she came from the east side of Glasgow.” High praise for someone so early in their career. “I literally got goosebumps just as you said it as well,” grins Rianne. “If I was to ever have a billboard, I’d just have that across the top to be honest.” Perfect marketing. “It’s just such a lovely, beautiful, rewarding thing because I didn’t even mention how much of an influence Dolly is on me as well, I think it’s one of them where I just assume everyone sort of knows.”
Other than gorgeous vocals and beautiful storytelling, expect to see some dreamy vintage Gunne Sax dresses on this tour. Just like her idols Stevie and Dolly, as well as current inspiration Sierra Ferrell, her fashion style is a big part of Rianne’s artistry and creative expression. “I feel like the more I play live and further I get along the album campaign, I’m still sort of finding my feet with who I really am as an artist and I do express myself quite a bit through the way that I dress,” Rianne says on her tour wardrobe. “So, I’m saving some room for closer to the time because I feel like I’m a different person to who I was five months ago, so I could be a different person by the time the album comes out. I’m just everchanging, going through phrases.”
Doesn’t sound too dissimilar to the aforementioned Sierra Ferrell. “I absolutely adore her,” says Rianne with admiration. “I think she is encapsulating what country music is and what a country star is as well, because that’s what I love about her, you can tell she’s grafted for so many years.” From their shared raw songwriting to bringing the music of their roots to the present day to a shared sense of expression through style, it wouldn’t be too outrageous of a pitch for Rianne Downey to open for Sierra Ferrell whenever she decides to have her own headlining tour in the UK. “That would be an absolute dream, like genuinely I’d sell my soul I think,” laughs Rianne.
When we spoke, Rianne was getting ready to embark on two tours, first supporting Tom Grennan, followed by her very own headlining tour, during of which her debut album will be released. “I think my celebrating will probably be while I’m on tour to be honest, because that’s the most rewarding feeling in the world,” Rianne says on her release date plans. “Getting to actually see the people that are listening to and buying the album, I think that’ll be my way to really celebrate. But on the day I think I’ll be eating some cake and getting a bit drunk.” Get in that bottle of Dolly Parton prosecco!
After chatting, I couldn’t help but feel that I had just spoken to someone who’s on the precipice of something huge. Rianne Downey has cut her teeth performing with Paul Heaton, her debut album tour is almost sold out and has the seal of approval from none other than Whispering Bob Harris, all before her beautiful album has even been released. British country singers are often met with resistance, adopting the twang and the steel peddle guitar they can run the risk of being seen as a gimmick, cultural dress-up if you will. But Rianne is taking country way back to some of its earliest roots, to Celtic folk music, as well as her own country roots – the musical upbringing of her Gran and Papa. Country and folk are the fabric of Rianne Downey’s being, it’s been there for her in the good and bad times and is why The Consequence of Love is as authentic as it gets.
The Consequence of Love by Rianne Downey will be released on Friday 17th October.
